Axa takes art from donation

Investing in art has proved to be as lucrative commercially as culturally in recent years. So the move by Axa to buy the stunning Portrait of the Duke of Orléans by Ingres and present it to the Louvre in Paris looks like a sound investment.

Henri de Castries, Axa's chief executive, unveiled the painting, for which Axa paid a private collector €11m, at the gallery last week.